2022 Trailblazer Award
In 1958, Charles (Charlie) and Phyllis Frias came to Southern Nevada with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Neither one had attended college, but with a firm determination and tireless work ethic, they built a five taxi cab company into the largest transportation company in the state of Nevada. Together, they also established a legacy of giving back to our community through their philanthropy, investing millions of dollars to support children, education, and the less fortunate members of the community. The Public Education Foundation is proud to recognize their incredible impact with the first Trailblazer Award.
Charlie was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy during World War II. Upon his honorable discharge, Charlie returned to his hometown. Phyllis was a farm girl from Ohio who joined the Air Force in 1955 after graduating from high school. Her first assignment was at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
It was at Lackland Air Force Base that Phyllis met Charlie, who was working as a civilian at the base. In 1956, the two were married and later headed west to Southern Nevada to a little town called Las Vegas. Before making this community their permanent home, the couple flipped a coin. They decided: “Heads we go, tails we stay.” Fortunately for them – and for Southern Nevada – the coin landed on tails.
Ever since that fateful coin flip, Charlie and Phyllis have been making an impact for Southern Nevada’s children. Together, they purchased a cab company and grew it into Frias Transportation Management, one of the largest and most successful transportation companies in Nevada’s history. Their leadership in the transportation industry allowed them to invest heavily in their community, supporting local community organizations and agencies along with public schools in the Clark County School District. In recognition of their support, the Clark County School District named an elementary school after them.
Although they had no children, Charlie and Phyllis left a legacy of charitable giving that few, if any, Southern Nevadans ever matched. Indeed, although Charlie passed away in 2006 and Phyllis in 2016, their tradition of selfless giving continues through the Charles and Phyllis M. Frias Charitable Trust. The Frias Charitable Trust continues their mission to give back to the community they so cherished.
Notably, the Frias Charitable Trust made the single largest distribution in the 107-year history of Girl Scouts USA to the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada in 2018 to create Camp Frias Frontier in Alamo, Nevada. In 2019 and 2020, several real estate parcels in Mesquite, Nevada were donated to the Nevada Rural Housing Authority to develop affordable housing units. In 2021, the Frias Charitable Trust donated a shopping center in Mesquite to establish and provide science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics programs to enhance education, skills, and employment opportunities for children and young adults in the area.
Charlie and Phyllis were passionate about how important it is for all children to receive a quality education. In 2022, the Frias Charitable Trust partnered with the Public Education Foundation to continue their wide-ranging and vital support of public schools. Their latest gifts to our public schools include providing school supplies for more than 500 teachers and 7,000 students in rural Clark and Lincoln County schools. The Frias Charitable Trust established an extraordinary new scholarship program for Clark County high school seniors to assist them in overcoming challenges beyond their control and attending the college or university of their choice. Nine students selected to be the inaugural recipients of the Charlies and Phyllis Frias Legacy Scholarship each received a $100,000 scholarship, and many of these recipients are the first in their families to attend college.
As one scholarship recipient shared, “It was my community that made me, and I will never forget the whirlwind of emotions I felt when I was told that I was the recipient of the Charles and Phyllis Frias Legacy scholarship. My life has been changed by these people who saw the dampened shine of someone who just needed to be given a chance to excel.”
Like many other individuals who moved to Nevada and succeeded, Charles and Phyllis Frias did not come here with much, but they had big dreams and persevered. Their support has touched thousands of lives and set a shining example for other Southern Nevadans to follow. Their lifelong devotion and service to our community, state, and nation has improved the lives of so many people in Southern Nevada and will continue to benefit our community for generations to come.
